I've been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo for about five years. I can remember exactly when the idea popped into my head. I was visiting my cousin on a spontaneous post-breakup trip to Chicago when I thought that a Star Wars tattoo on my lower back would be really cool. If I had money on me, it's entirely possible that I would have gotten it that weekend. Being broke and afraid of pointy needles, the dream was put on hold until the necessary funds (and cajones) came into my life.

Fast forward to September 2010. After reading my bucket list post, my dad informed me that he would get me tattoo for me birthday so I could cross something off my list. With the financial backingand backing and the guarantee of a hand to hold, I was ready!

So what design would I brand into my flesh? After careful deliberation, I chose this:

This is an insignia on the shoulder armor of the biggest BAMF in the Star Wars universe: Boba Fett.

Why this? The reasoning behind getting a Star Wars tattoo was two-fold. Firstly, I love the films. Being an awkward, nerdy kid, the original trilogy was a huge part of my childhood (and included a hard-core crush on Luke Skywalker in the fourth grade). I feel that by putting a Star Wars image on my body, I am saying, "No matter how much makeup I have on or how chic and sophisticated I may look, I am still just a nerdy girl at heart. Nothing can change that." Of all the images I could have chosen, I chose Boba Fett's because I hope that the bad ass attitude that The Fett possesses will help me be a strong, ballsy woman.

Secondly, a Star Wars tattoo is my way of thanking my parents. My parents raised me on Star Wars, Monty Python, and the entire 1980s Eddie Murphy film canon. I like to think that because of the awesome stuff my parents exposed me to an early age, I turned into a totally unique and awesome adult. Sure, I was a weird kid whose interests were far different than her peers, but that pales in comparison to the life I have now. I proudly wear this tattoo as a thank you and an inspiration.

So that's my tattoo story. The experience was far less painful than I had imagined it would be and I can definitely see myself getting another one in the future.